Harry Shearer Is Working on a Derek Smalls Solo Album Called ‘Smalls Change’

GQ has a lengthy new feature out today called “Spinal Tap vs. Hollywood” about the Spinal Tap lawsuit filed by Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Rob Reiner against French movie distributor Vivendi, and while Shearer offers some more insight about why he’s decided to file the $400 million lawsuit (“If I had a slogan, that would be it: Fight or be roadkill”), he also revealed some interesting news at the end of the interview about an album he’s currently working on:

In the meantime, Tap fans will be interested to know that Derek Smalls is hard at work on a new project: his first solo album. The septuagenarian bassist is finally stepping out on his own, with songs that shed light on the travails of partying hard in one’s twilight years. Already, more than a few real rockers have recorded cameos (Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, for example, sings the bridge on “Memo to Willie,” a little ditty about erectile dysfunction; Peter Frampton and Steve Vai are also on board). There’s a song called “MRI,” and another called “It Don’t Get Old,” which describes the decaying pleasures of life on the road.

Earlier this month, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith tweeted the below photo with Dave Grohl and Jim Keltner, so it looks like we can count on these three to show up on the album too: